Why the “big, beautiful wall” is doomed to fail: The existing wall in Ambos Nogales tells us a great deal about President Trump’s ill-conceived plan to fortify the entire U.S.-Mexico border. What geology has to say about building a 1,000-mile border wall: Compared to erecting a marble palace or high-steepled church, a wall may seem relatively straightforward — it isn’t.

The inaugural issue of Dignity: A Journal on Sexual Exploitation and Violence is out. Ian Bremmer on 5 global scandals that have nothing to do with Donald Trump. South Korea’s president was impeached, North Korea is increasingly threatening — here’s what you need to know. Dutch, Turkey escalate diplomatic tit-for-tat over rally dispute. Rep. Steve King: “We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies”. Colin Dickey reviews The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel. How the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake has shown itself to be a powerful force in the world: Scott McLemee reviews The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge by Abraham Flexner.

Why evolution is ageist: Genetic mutation changes from adaptive to dangerous after reproductive age. A new influence on human evolution: A new report suggests that cesarean births are leading to bigger babies — and more C-sections. Will human evolution be shaped by climate change? Scientists seek to update evolution: Recent discoveries have led some researchers to argue that the modern evolutionary synthesis needs to be amended. Unified theory of evolution: Darwin's theory that natural selection drives evolution is incomplete without input from evolution's anti-hero, Lamarck. The first chapter from Darwin's Unfinished Symphony: How Culture Made the Human Mind by Kevin N. Laland.

Just how far can our evolution go? Adrian Barnett reviewsFuture Humans: Inside the Science of Our Continuing Evolution by Scott Solomon. Can evolution have a "higher purpose"? The biologist William D. Hamilton entertained the notion — so can we. What happens when tech takes control of evolution?

Thomas Christie Williams reviewsRedesigning Life: How Genome Editing Will Transform the World by John Parrington. College students try to hack a gene drive — and set a science fair abuzz. How gene editing could ruin human evolution. Will babies be better off if we know their genes? Here's a glimpse of this brave new world of baby-making. Jonathan Anomaly (Duke): Defending Eugenics: From Cryptic Choice to Conscious Selection. Will the alt-Right peddle a new kind of racist genetics? China is at the forefront of manipulating DNA to create a new class of superhumans. China's $9 billion effort to beat the U.S. in genetic testing. Jim Kozubek, author of Modern Prometheus: Editing the Human Genome with Crispr-Cas9, on writing a history of Crispr-Cas9.